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ISLAMABAD, Aug 1: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Wednesday filed an appeal in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against the attachment of CDA officials’ salaries and seizure of its bank accounts.

Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui of the IHC on July 27 ordered attachment of the salaries of the CDA chairman, members, directors general, deputy directors general and directors while hearing a land compensation case of the villagers of sector H-16 and I-17.

The CDA legal advisor Mohammad Ramzan Chaudhry in an intra-court appeal contended that the CDA member finance on July 23 had explained to the Justice Siddiqui the financial crunch being faced by the authority but the court attached the salaries of the CDA officers.

The appeal alleged that the order for the attachment of the salaries of the CDA officials was illegal as it would deprive the officers of their fundamental right to receiving salaries for the duties they performed during Ramazan.

The appeal said that the court did not consider the proposed options for the redressal of the grievances of the affected persons which included the allotment of plots in the same sector on land sharing formula, de-acquisition of acquired land for which the process of amendment in the CDA ordinance 1960 has already been initiated by the authority, financial implication of complete acquisition of land and built up property (BuP) of these two sectors, possibilities of payment of compensation in installments and to wait for development of the sectors through joint ventures.

It pointed out that the salaries of the officers have been attached without hearing their point of view, adding it was an ex parte decision as the view of the authority has neither been considered nor appreciated and even the arguments advanced by the CDA counsel were not taken into consideration.

It said none of the affected persons has handed over the possession of the acquired land.

The award of BuP has not been finalised as yet and the assessment of the share of each of the affected persons is under process, the appeal said and added that the record received from the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration regarding the land of these two sectors was also incomplete, therefore, the actual amount to be paid to each of the affected person cannot be accurately calculated at this stage.

IHC registrar officer fixed the CDA appeal before the division bench comprising Justice Riaz Ahmed Khan and Justice Mohammad Azim Khan Afridi which would take up the matter on Thursday.